(Austin, TX)– On Friday, August 4th, hundreds of LGBTQ people of color and immigrants are heading to the Texas State Capitol to protest SB 3 and SB 4, two bills targeting transgender and immigrant communities. The #HereToSlay action, organized by local groups Aquí Estamos RGV and Organización Latina de Trans in Texas (OLTT) and national organizations Transgender Law Center and Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, will feature a rally, press conference, and march into the capitol building to send the message that our communities are united for a safer, more just Texas.

“Nobody should have to live in fear just because of who they are,” said Dani Marrero of Aquí Estamos RGV. “We are going to the capitol to demand that our legislators stop singling us out for discrimination and harassment. Whether we are immigrants, transgender people, people of color, or all of the above, we are part of families and communities across the state and we deserve a fair chance.”

Transgender Law Center is the largest national trans-led organization advancing justice for transgender and gender nonconforming people through litigation, community organizing, policy advocacy, and public education. Transgenderlawcenter.org

Aquí Estamos is a local organization in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas and seeks to bring together LGBTQIA people of color and allies to identify the institutional, social, and cultural currents that oppress LGBTQIA people of color in our borderland. Aquí Estamos strives to challenge those currents by creating a visible and bold movement where LGBTQIA people can stand in solidarity for justice.

Familia:TQLM is a national LGBTQ Latinx organization working to protect the rights and lives of trans, queer, and gender noncoforming Latinxs, inlcuding LGBTQ undocumented Latinx immigrants, through community organizing, advocacy, and education.